CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:
Untitled.
AN: Hey guys, guess what? I GOT MY FIRST FLAME! WHOOO HOO! (dances around and makes a cuppa tea to celebrate.) (looks at readers sheepishly) "What? I said flames would be used to make tea" (pulls out the chamomile.)
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"Oh my stars and garters! I never thought I'd see you again!" Hank McCoy barely managed to place the papers he was holding on his desk without dropping them. "I thought you were dead!"
Professors Xaviers eyebrows flew up. "Well, well, well, this seems like an interesting story."
"No, not dead." Steve Aswell smiled, but his smile was icy. "My death was a hoax, to throw some people off the track, so to speak."
Hank McCoy stepped forward, but still maintained a careful distance, the Professor noted with interest.
"Mr. Aswell is here for Miss. Andrews." Professor Xavier informed Hank.
The 'Beast' blinked in confusion. "Miss. Andrews? You mean the one who came with Sabretooth?"
"Yes, the very one." Xavier nodded, watching carefully when suspicion crossed the Beasts blue-furred face.
"What on earth do you want with her?" the Beast asked.
"She is something like a sister to me." Steve informed him coolly with a half smile, his steel blue eyes taking in everything at once; the classroom, the desks, entrances, exits, windows. "The idea of her being with the Sabretooth is…..distressing."
"Well, he certainly does have a track record." Hank conceded. "But the Professor Xavier believes him to be somewhat, er, reformed." Hanks gold eyes flickered to the Professors brown ones then back to Steve.
"Somewhat reformed?" Steve pressed.
"It is not impossible for someone to turn over a new-leaf." Hank pointed out.
"No, but it is highly unlikely. Especially for a feral male." Steve pointed out.
Hank McCoy visibly bristled, his blue fur seeming to become static. "Do not judge all ferals by one, Mr. Aswell."
Charles held one hand up to his temple, closing his eyes. "Excuse me, gentlemen, but Logan has just called in for the Blackbird to come and pick up the prey he and Victor have caught."
"Excellent." Steve turned towards the Professor. "I will go with you. I need to see my petite soeur."
Hank outwardly winced. He had a feeling that this was NOT going to go well.
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VICTOR & LOGAN
Ten deer, fourteen fish, and one bear later, Victor told Logan to phone in for the plane. "And tell'em to have a freezer ready!" Victor bellowed to his younger brother. "Gotta put the prey on ice till I have the curing station set up!"
Logan growled and grumbled a little, but pulled out a neat little cell-phone and pushed a speed-dial number as Victor headed back towards where he had left his frail. His little brother was taking orders…..good. This, at least, was a step in the right direction, but even more promising was how the runt had remembered their old hunting hand signals.
With this encouraging thought in his mind, Victor quickly backtracked to the pine bed where he had left his mate, fully expecting to find her resting. The roar he gave out sent all the birds flying from the trees.
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Logan looked up, stunned, at the roar that shook the forest. "Oh shit, what now."
Quickly, he pocketed the cell phone and sprinted off in the direction of the roar.
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When the roar shook the trees Cassie practically jumped fifty feet in the air herself, scattering flowers everywhere and nearly peeing herself in the process. Then she took notice of how far she had gone, enticed by the flowers.
Two words pretty much summed up the situation. "Uh-oh."
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There were no signs of a struggle, no scents of intruders; the only footprints on the ground were his, the runts, and his mates, so that ruled out kidnapping…..he hoped. So maybe she had just wandered off…again….despite his orders she stay put.
Victor growled low and angrily in his throat. He was alpha and it was about time she learned that! When he told her to STAY somewhere he damned well expected to come back and find her where he had left her!
Just then his younger brother came running up, claws, unleased. "Vic, what the hell is goin' on—" then he stopped short when he noticed that they were missing someone. "Oh…..Damn." he sniffed the air. "Was she kidnapped?" Taking in the undisturbed area, he came to his own conclusions. "No new scents…..no new tracks…..come on, Vic, she probably just wandered off. I don't smell any fear, I'm sure she's fine."
"But she still WANDERED OFF!" Sabretooth roared. "I told her to STAY HERE!" Sabretooth growled low in his throat. "Go make sure the meat gets on the plane, runt, I'm gonna go get my frail."